NOREPINEPHRINE, URINE

24 hr urine in 15 mL 50% HCl

Minimum aliquot volume : 30 mL urine

Total 24 hr urine volume must be clearly indicated

​High Performance Liquid Chromatography

0 – < 2 yrs : < 280 nmol/mmol creatinine
 
2 – 4 yrs : < 80 nmol/mmol creatinine
 
5 – 19 yrs : < 55 nmol/mmol creatinine
 
≥ 20 yrs : 89 - 473 nmol/day

​Mean = 7 days, Range: 3 – 11 days

​Monday - Friday

Patient Preparation:

(1) Patient should abstain from the following at least 2 days prior to and during urine specimen collection:

(a) intake of food like coffee, tea and nicotine (tobacco) which may increase endogenous catecholamine production

(b) where medically possible, drugs such as alpha-methyldopa (AldometTM), Ispoproterenol, Labetalol, mandelamine, metoclopramide, acetaminophen, cimetidine which may potentially interfere with the testing

(c) where medically possible, drugs such as tricyclic antidepressants (e.g Amitriptyline), α-blockers (Nonselective) (e.g Phenoxybenzamine), α-blockers (α1 - selective) (e.g Doxazosin), β-blockers (e.g Atenolol), Calcium Channel Antagonists (e.g Nifedipine), Vasodilators (e.g Hydralazine), Monoamine Oxidase Inhibitor (e.g Phenelzine), Sympathomimetics (e.g Ephedrine), Stimulants (e.g Theophylline), Levodopa, Carbidopa (Sinemet) and Cocaine which may induce increase or decrease in the catecholamine production.

(2) If the patient cannot be completely removed from a drug regime, test result should be interpreted with appropriate clinical judgement based on expected physiology response to these drugs.